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"A quick-view, slightly obsessive list featuring two varieties that Oz can do
with panache and, well, I'm rather partial to actually; all tasted at Wine Australia's London
extravaganza (2010). These wines - a dozen Rieslings and 20 Shirazes - have been
extracted from those tantalising "consumer
top 20" selection and "winery
snapshots6" pages, where, on the
latter, you'll find tasty profiles on some of these wineries plus several other
non R & S wines..."
More stuff classified under this recent Australia focus: "world-class
Chardonnay."
Riesling
2009 Petaluma Hanlin Hill, Adelaide
Hills SA - zesty "phenolic"
(those lively aromatic qualities you get from pre-fermentation skin
contact) chalky tones, concentrated vs crisp palate, lively tight finish. Promising.
89-91 £10
2008 Petaluma Hanlin Hill - wilder
more intense style, nice concentration with oily vs zesty mouthfeel;
very attractive mix of oily developing fruit vs still tight and long. 90-92 £10
2008
Ferngrove Great Southern WA - quite
classic zesty limey Riesling nose and palate; crunchy and lively vs chalky and
oily mouthfeel. £7.99 87
2008 Plantagenet Great Southern WA
- more intense and limey, chalkier style too; very lively and crisp vs oily
palate with classy bite. £10.99 90+
2009 Pewsey Vale Eden Valley SA -
more closed up to start with floral peachy notes; softer style perhaps yet still
very Riesling with nice zesty finish and citrus zing. £9.20 87-89
2009 Grosset Polish Hill, Clare
Valley SA - demanding nose and palate, slowly revealing honeyed notes vs crunchy
chalky extract; builds up to very intense, tight and structured mouthfeel with
delicious elegant mineral length. Wow. Great yet austere wine in need of a
little rest in bottle. £19.95 90-92
2009 St Hallett Eden Valley SA - softer
style with lime blossom aromas and juicy mouthfeel, finishing crisp and
mineral. £8.99 87+
2006 Pirie South, Tasmania - enticing
developing oily and mineral nose; fading citrus fruit and zest, turning
petrol-y and mature vs backbone of underlying acidity.
88+
2005 Pirie Estate - classy Alsace
"grand cru" type profile and intensity; maturing mineral edges vs
concentration, then tightens up with crisp bite still. Wow.
92+?
2007 Pirie Reserve Clark's Botrytis
- complex spicy noble rot nose, lush honey and marmalade; classy rich
mouthfeel vs elegant bite, pretty fine balance and style.
90+
2009 Knappstein Hand Picked, Clare Valley (12%) -
floral lime aromas with light tobacco even (what's that about?); fresh
clean and lively mouthfeel, fairly easy style with attractive zesty
finish. £8.49 85
2008 Knappstein Ackland Vineyard
(12.5%) - a step or two up: lovely oily mineral nose with complex lime
flavours vs oily notes/texture; great bite with classy tight length.
£10.99 90+
Shiraz
2007 Petaluma Adelaide Hills - peppery with ripe
cassis and quite a bit of vanilla-y sweet oak; attractive texture and
oomph vs spicy/sweet black fruit, closing up on its nice finish showing
more subtle oak integration. 89-91
£15
2009
Paxton
rosé
McLaren Vale - juicy spicy minty style, moving
on to ripe oily red fruits then nice refreshing and crisp bite. £10.99
85
2008 Paxton
Quandong - rich dark black fruits, spicy and punchy mouthfeel turning
firm and tight; wilder savoury edges vs underlying sweetness vs dry grip
closing up the finish a little. £15.50 88-90
2005 Paxton Jones Block - maturing and meaty vs rich cassis; spicy and tasty palate,
quite elegant and complex, keeps going. £18.99
90-92
2008 Paxton MV
- ripe vs spicy and juicy, again pretty easy compared to some
of the others vs a bit of bite to finish. 83-85
2006 Paxton Elizabeth Jean (100 year-old) - complex smoky nose with dark cherry, blackberry and a touch
of vanilla; intense and lush palate vs herbal-edged fruit, punchy solid
vs fine length and again finishing with savoury vs liquorice flavours.
90+
2008 Clonakilla Hilltops,
Canberra District NSW - quite
seductive spicy cherry fruit, peppery and pure with a wilder side too;
subtle oak coating and rounded vs tight and firm framework. £15 88+
2007 Clonakilla O'Riada
- pure minty style with dried cherry and raisin edges; solid powerful
palate with again that taut feel vs wild herb/garrigue tones,
captivating stuff. £27 90
2006 Greenstone Heathcote, Victoria - dark and lush black fruits with chocolate oak
undertones; tight framework and power vs subtle bite, attractive texture
and a bit of class too. £16 88+
2007 Knappstein - taut and leaner style
of Shiraz showing subtle peppery vs "sweet" fruit; firm framework
layered with dark cherries, nice now actually. £10
87
2008 Mitchelton Nagambie Lakes, Victoria - spicy and pure black
cherry nose; quite soft and subtle vs tighter structure underneath, ripe
then spicy finish; quite elegant change. £8.99
87+
2006 Mitchelton
"Print" - concentrated and
vibrant mouthful with subtle oak layering, firm and punchy vs
deliciously rounded. £15 90
2006 St Hallett Eden Valley - offers
creamy berry fruit and subtle concentration, lusher on the finish with
light toasty oak; still firm vs maturing framework, quite elegant
actually. 89
2008 St Hallett Faith, Barossa
Valley SA - nice dark
blackberry and pepper on the nose; lively fruity palate with chunky
texture, turning savoury too with big vs rounded tannins and attractive
oomph. £10 88
2006 St Hallett Blackwell, Barossa - darker
richer spicier and toastier; lush mouth-coating texture plus commanding
power then tighter finish with meaty edges. Wow. £13
90
2006 St Hallett Old Block,
Barossa/Eden - smoky vs
herbal nose, lush "tar" notes in the mouth; appealing grip and
background wood, big spicy mouthful yet still tight and fine-grained.
92
2004
Wakefield
St Andrews, Clare Valley
- maturing meaty aromas with
leather, dark plums and spices; complex tobacco tones vs lush black
fruits vs very firm finish still. 90-92
2006 d'Arenberg the Dead Arm, McLaren Vale SA
- wow! Minty "garrigue" (as they say in the south of France) tones vs very ripe,
lush/dark plum; turns meatier with concentrated big (15%) mouthfeel, finishing
with light wood grain vs grippy tannins vs dark peppery fruit. £26.99 90+
2008 Ben Glaetzer Bishop, Barossa
- purer herbal juicy vs very ripe black cherry style; chunky solid
texture, concentrated and big (15.5%) mouthful vs spicy fruit. Wow: needs a few
years to mellow, almost too much but carries it off somehow! £19.95 90+
2005
d'Arenberg Vintage Fortified, McLaren Vale - meaty maturing nose with dried cherries and plums vs minty herbal undertones; grip and power vs sweet lush fruit, well made in
this "not everybody's cup of tea" style (I like it). £10.99 89+
All rights RM James, posted May 2010.
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